People often ask, "If God loves us more than we can imagine, if he's all powerful and all knowing, why doesn't he stop all the pain and suffering in the world--especially the pain and suffering of the innocents?"
Nobody and nothing, not even scriptures, have ever given me a clear-cut answer to this question. Yeah, I know God gave us free will; and if we have free will, God can't just go around passing miracles right and left without compromising somebody's free will. But why? Why would God give us such a dangerous thing as free will? I've just always figured that God knows best, and if I'm supposed to know it, I'll find the answer someday.
Well, I think I found the answer in this little book. It's the story of Mack Phillips, whose youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted from a family outing. Although Missy's body is never found, evidence of her brutal murder comes to light in an abandoned shack in the Oregon woods. Four years later, Mack is summoned back to that shack by a note, signed "Papa," the name that his wife Nan has always called God.
Against his better judgment, even fearing an ambush, Mack is compelled to go to the shack. What he finds there will give him back his life, his hope, and his faith. You might be shocked by the way the author personifies the three persons of the Holy Trinity. You might call the characterizations silly or, worse still, disrespectful. But if you can get past outward appearances, if those things don't bother you, I challenge you to read this book. You might even feel Papa's arms enfold you, Jesus's hand in yours, and the soft breath of Sarayu gently kiss your cheek. I did. And now I plan to keep this book on my bedside table, right under my Bible. It's that important to me.
If you'd like to know more about The Shack, go here. You'll find what others have said about the book, a bio of the author William Paul Young, and ways you can spread the news.
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On 04/03/2008, ramey channell said ...
If God loves us more than we can imagine, if he's all powerful and all knowing, why doesn't he stop all the pain and suffering in the world--especially the pain and suffering of the innocents?
People ask this question so often, and the answer is quite simple. God gave human beings a free will, and each individual chooses whether to do good or evil. So much of the suffering in the world, and of the innocents, is man made, and God only exercises his authority on the earth through the people who live here. It may seem there are exceptions when someone prays very hard and gets good results. God did that, but it was done through the "fervent effectual prayer" of the person praying. Even when He parted the water to let the Israelites escape, Moses was there having faith for it to happen.
If God just stepped in and stopped every bad deed, there would be no free will. Plus, God is spirit, the world we live in, and our bodies, are physical. That's why Jesus came as a real person; if he had just been his spirit self, he would have had no authority in the physical world.
So, when bad things happen, God is not to blame. Most bad things happen because of people who are not living according to their true purpose on the Earth. Some bad things, like mosquitos, fleas, ticks and poison oak happen because we live in an imperfect world. Maybe if people perfected themselves, like Jesus said, "Be ye perfect, even as your father is perfect," we could get a handle on not only the manmade evil, but also the mosquitos, fleas, ticks and poison oak as well.
That's my opinion.
Ramey Channell
On 04/03/2008, Beverly said ...
Thank you, Susan. That sounds like quite a powerful read. I will be looking to read this, and I will let you know when I finish.
On 04/03/2008, Sister Cage said ...
Ramey is right.
On 04/04/2008, Gayle said ...
I can't wait to read this book. I'm ordering it today. My oldest daughter and I were sitting in the car during my youngest daughter's soccer practice discussing this same topic just two days ago. It sounds like an incredible book. Thank you for sharing this as I doubt I would have come across this book on my own.
On 04/04/2008, Adrienne said ...
This book is wonderful. You are absolutely right. A MUST read. I had the privilege to lead music and sing a special song at an event where the author was the speaker. He and I found that we knew many of the same people from our childhood. It was a treat to meet him, his lovely wife and one of his sweet daughters. I'm going to read the book again soon. ~Adrienne~
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